Eyes High
Christopher Laney 
Whenever I lift my eyes toward the sky, my mood improves. I noticed this a long time ago and have always assumed my fondness of that vast expanse above triggered it, an inner kid spellbound by countless shades of blue and an ever-changing cloudscape.
But now I question that assumption, that the sky itself lifted my mood. I believe my appreciation of the sky camouflaged the real reason. This aha moment surfaced as I paid closer attention to my subdued moods, catching myself ruminating over life’s challenges and annoyances, some laughable in their insignificance. In each instance I noticed I was looking down and the simple act of looking up produced a positive shift in my mood. It didn’t matter whether my eyes turned toward the sky, or toward the ceiling, the same effect occurred.
I wonder if this physical act of mood improvement has always been subtlety acknowledged in our collective consciousness? Some common cliches make me believe so: Keep your chin up. Hold your head high.
Don’t take my word for it. Wherever you are right now, look up, beyond eye level to the heavens, to the sky, to the ceiling. What do you feel? If it works for you, use it whenever you find yourself in a darker mood. Nothing could be simpler.
Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 12:00AM | in Balance, Guidance, Inner Kid, Limitless Living, Positive Thinking, Success | tagged Hold Your Head High, Keep Your Chin Up, Sky | Share | 14 Comments | Email Article
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Reader Comments (14)
This was a good reminder for me today. Will take it. I'm often multi tasking looking up and doing other things- today I'll just take a solid time to indulge...
Chris, Whoa! I hadn't thought about "things are looking up" like that before. Very cool. Thanks
Looking up right now. Ahhhhhhhh
Indulge away, Vikki. Let me know how it goes.
David, I didn't think of that one. Fits right in.
Jeff, I recall we spent a lot of time looking up when we were on the 50 cal watch together off the coast of Africa and discussing everything under that sun and sky. I don't miss a lot from those Navy days, but I definitely miss those times.
Nice . Add a smile. I have been listening to the Tony Robbins Coaching programs. In one cd he discusses a study where severely depressed people were asked to look into a mirror and simply smile for minutes at a time several times day. They found that many were able to relieve their depression simply by repeating these actions in a relatively short amount of time.
Is this why I get my biggest feelings of sacrifation from painting skies? Hum?
Cloudless day today. Three times I was multitasking, and then on the 4th, I just looked. After 15 seconds, it felt like the entire day shifted. Will attempt again tomorrow. :-) Thanks!
So I was out doing a trail run today and DYING in the heat when I thought of this post. You can't really keep your eyes raised when running trails but I did briefly look up and actually felt better for about a minute as I continued running. Then I looked back down and the urge to puke returned. Will keep trying... ;)
Love this! Skies are one of my favorite things in life :)
Jim, I believe that about the smiling. That's definitely a mood changer in itself.
Phyllis, You know I'm drawn to all your paintings and their fantastic skies and color.
Vikki, Good for you.
Dena, Only you could work the word "puke" into this topic.
Veronica, We have that in common.
Chris,
Thanks alot! All I see is a water stained ceiling from an over-flowing air conditioner evaporator! There goes my weekend!
Actually, Chris, you are spot on; besides our mutual love of the airways, looking upward also parallels our positive outlook on life in general, so this physical lifting of the eyes skyward is a great way to take a sip from that larger riverflow of positive vibes.
Now to stay positive about this ceiling stain!
Take care, my friend!
Clif
Sorry, Clif! :) I'm sure you'll banish it from your view soon.
I love this post....